Traction-wheel.



R. N. lRrBLETI TRAcnoN WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED NNE vI6. 1.913.

l Patented Apr. 6, 1915;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Lisaafeo.

To all whom t may concern: Be it knovvn that 1, RoYAL NEWTON RIB- Ln'r, a citizen of the United States. residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of lvashington, have invented nenv and useful Improvements 1n Traction-Wheels of Which the following 1s a Specication.

My invention relates to improvements in Wheels. and has as its principal object a Wheel which will present an added amount p or traction surface to the ground and which may also be fitted onto any vehicle whichA v has prevlously used a shaft.

A further object of my invention is to design a type of. tract-ion Wheel which Will render theoperation of steering easier than when the .caterpillar type of driving apparatus is used, and which will, atthe same time, present a large tracting surface to the ground. y

Athird object of my invention is to pre1 sent a Wheel which vvill 'adapt itself for the level or vgrade and strong and durable.

A. final object of my invention resides in the particular arrangement and combination of parts vhereinafter. described.

In the accompanying drawings @Figure 1 is a sidel-je e-vation of `my improved ivheel showing the-"position which the different parts 'would take ifthe Wheel Was lifted clear of the ground and no Weight placed thereon. Fig. Q is a side elevation showing the. position taken immediately upon the Wheel touching the ground and the Weight being placed on the Shaft. lThis vievY shows clearly the amount .of tracting surface to contact with the ground. Fig. 3 is an elevational vieiv takenfrom the right or left of Fig. E2. Fig. l 1s a cross section on the line of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan view ofone of the parts of my complete Wheel. Fig.' G.

is a plan view of tvvo of the foot pieces used in my Wheel, showing the interior sides thereof and themethod of matching the same. Fig. 7 is av perspective vievv of a modifiedformof foot piece provided vwith grousers. Fig. 8 is a perspective`view of a foot picce'provided with a rubber bloc-k. "Fig". 9 is 'a perspective vieuvv of the parts .shown in Fig. 5.

Throughout the separate views the same part is designated by the same reference character. Y .l

Rwferring more particularly tothe drawings, the heel of the `Whole is designated by the cha `,actor 1 and is shovvn as mounted ROYAL NEWTON RIBLET, or sPoKANE, wesnrnetroigf frRACTroia-Wimax..

Specification of Letters lPatent.-` I d APL i appneaonaleaiane1e,1913."seriainewaeaa 'i i i 1 y on the `shaft 9.. I The `Wheel. comprisestivo Wheel shaped members lBffone l.onflvl y.of .f

amos.

with spokes such as -L whichv radiate from the shaft, the outer endsof the vspokesbeing connected by a rlm. l. At itspointof-connection .vitheach of the spokes hl-,vthe rim 5 is perforated to receive pins 6 .Whichextend inwardly from the' yrimand serve as pivots Y for crescent shaped rocker arms Twvhich are pivoted thereon near their inner edgesand half Way7 between thetipss' .0f course itnis immaterial Whether the rocker arms .7 pivot on the pins G or whether thegpins G piv-otf in the rim 5. The rocker arms are perforated at their tipsfto receive gudgeons .S by -vfhich the rocker arms'are 1in-k members 9.

pivotally connected to By referring to-Figfit will.beiseen that there are tivo'sets of the rocker armsQ, one set for each. of lthe-Wheel `men/ibers 31 andby referring to Figs., 1 andQ., it will be seen that the rocker arms 7. overlap eachother, each alternate rocker arm being .placed someivhat. farther away from vthe rim thanftheothers in order to permit, ofthis overlapping arrangement. 'In order to providelthis` offsetV for the rocker arms @they arejprovided with bosses 10. It vvill- -beni'iderstood that a the members 7 are'interchangeablebut.,that each alternate member is ieverscdso este bring the bosses 10 on the side next :to the vvheel members qin order to-,space ,certain perforated lugs 12 it lwill 'he' seen that'the lug 11 `is offsetfromqthe:remainder of the link. At' the opposite end l-luth lugs l1 and 12 the links 9 are provided with three perforated lugs such :leid-s131113.'

vof the members 7 from the wheel membersiin r f i which the linksl 9 are adaptedtoibeLc-on; l

nectedwith foot or treadpieces' 14e. two; of

which are shown in detail in Fig.; The members 1d are provided vvitlr four vvebs such as 15 Which vare 'prmiided?,ivrtlr'ap 'Aj tured lugs'suchas 1G ateach end and( the .I alinement.

bers 14 'are interchangeable but that' the webs 15 are inclined so that the lugsv 16 can overlap without throwing the plates out of Zhen theadjoiningl plates 14 arethus assembled, as shown in Fig. 6, three spaces such as 18 remain between the four pairs of lugs 16 and it will be understood that the lugs 13 of two of the link members 9' are assembled in the spaces 18 'between' each pair of bearing plates 14 as'clearly indicatedin' Figs. 1 and 4.. 1t will be understood thaton account 'of the odset portion of the lug l10n the links 9 that the lugs 13 can be thus assembled side by side'by merely reversing the position of one of the links 9 with respect v to the xother. The relative arrangement'ofthelugs 16 and 17 is also clearly indicated'inj Fig. 3.

From the foregoing it will be seen that f.

" between said links and said 'bearing lplates when the various parts described have been assembled as shown in Fig. 1, the wheel will assume the position shown in that figure unless some weight is placed thereon. When the wheel is placed on the ground and weight placed on the shaft 2 the central Wheel members 3 vwill tend to settle and consequently l bination, a pair of wheel like membersdisthe pins 6 which happen to be on the lower edge -of the rim 5 will be carried downward into the position shown in Fig. 2, carrying with them the corresponding saddle pieces 7, thus bringingl the two-lower bearing plates 14 into alinement and spreading apart the two l'central links 9, as clearly shown in this figure. Due tothe continuous connection of the various members around the wheel its .shape will remain symmetrical, the two hub lplates 14, also being brought into alinement adjacent to the horizontal diameter of the.

as well as the two pairs of plates which lie wheel.

It will be understood that the exterior surfaces such as theyplates 14 need not be plain as shown in Fig. 3 butmay be provided, withprojecting strips or grousers 18 as shown in Fig. 7 and preferably extending diagonally of the bearing plates 14, as shown .in said ligure. In. Fig. 8 as shown, still another form of bearing plate 14 f is shown,

the outer face of which is recessed as shown 'at 19 in order to receive-a block of resilient `material` 2O preferably of rubber.

It will be understood thatvwhile in the drawings .the Wheel 1 is shown as being driven by a shaft, a gear train'and sprocket and chain may be used as a driving means.

It will be understood .further that While I have shownand described herein the preferred form of myinvention, various modi-- [ications thereof may be made without de parting from the spirit of my invention, and

' aisance4 bearing plates hinged together and describing .a ligure of 'greater periphery than said wheel like members, .and links connecting said bearing plates and said rocker arms and being pivoted at each end.

2. A wheel structure comprising in combination, two wheel like members disposed :one on each side of said structure and cenytrally thereof, rocker arms pivoted to said wheel like members, a bearing surface composed of a continuous series of pivoted bearin'g plates having its rim greater than the periphery of said wheel like members, and

llinks connecting said bearing plates with said rocker arms, the points' of connection posed one on each side ofthe structure,

rocker varms' piVoted-to said Wheel like mem-` bers atl the rim thereof and at 'poiits centrally situated in said rocker arms, there being two sets of .said rocker arms, one set pivoted to each of said wheel like nembers,

the rocker arms in each set being arranged ywith their ends overlapping, said rocker arms being proridecilv with bossesvpi ojecting centrally :from one side thereof whereby.

alternate .ones of each set ofsaid lrocker arms are. spaced from said wheel'like members in order to permit said overlappingarrangement and being assembled so that each alter-. nate rocker arm is arranged with said lugs vpresented toward thewheel like member to which lthe rocker arm is pivoted, a bearing structure comprlsmg a continuous se ries of pivoted' bearing plates, ,links connected to the opposite ends of said rocker arms and connected also to the points of connection between said plates, there being two of said links pivoted to saidbearing surface at each point of connection between the individual bearing plates, and the links connecting to any given pointA on the bearing structure being connected to vadjacent ends of separate rocker arms.

4. A wheel structure comprising in com,"

bin'ation, a pair of Wheel like members disposed one on each side of the strucr'l ture, .crescent shaped rocker arms pivoted to said wheel like members at the rim thereof and atpoints centrally situated in said crescent shaped members, there being two sets'of said crescent shaped members7 one set pivoted to each of ,said wheel like members, the crescentnshape'd members in arrangement and being assembled so that such alternate crescent shaped member is arranged with seid lugs` presented toward the wheel like member to which the crescent shaped member is pivoted, :i bearing structure comprising e continuous 'series Of pivoted bearing plates,. links connected to the opposite endso'. seid vcrescerrt sheped members and connected also to the point-s of connection between saidpletes, there being two.

of ,seid links pivoted to seid bearing surface at each point'of connection between Vthe individunly bearing plates, and the links conmeeting to :my given point on the bearing structure being lconnected toadjacent ends of alternate rocker arms, and each of said vlinks being eonnecte'd to two of said crescent shaped members one .On each side of the wheel structure. .n L

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of `two witnesses.

ROYAL NEWTON mener.

Witnesses: i 'f HAROLD SGANTLEBURY, Enne BROYLES.' 

